Impeachment process begins against justice Yashwant Varma

The impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma - the ex-Delhi High Court judge, began Monday afternoon after 145 MPs, from ruling and opposition parties, submitted a memorandum to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. At least 149 lawmakers from the Lok Sabha and 63 from the Rajya Sabha signed two separate impeachment notices against sitting high court judge, justice Yashwant Varma, who is battling allegations of corruption after wads of cash were recovered from his house in Delhi. MPs from opposition parties like the Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) signed the memorandum, as did those from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, including the Telugu Desam Party, the Janata Dal United, and Janata Dal Secular.
On Sunday Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed a large number of MPs - including at least three dozen from the Congress - had signed the memorandum. The government has made it clear it intends to try and remove Justice Varma, who has since been returned to his parent High Court in Allahabad, and stood down from active duty.
For the removal of a sitting judge, the motion requires the signatures of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. For the motion to pass, it has to garner the support of a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-third of the members of the House present and voting. This means that a successful impeachment motion will need multi-party support.